Hot, dry summer forecast for Manitoba makes for 'bleak' outlook for wildfire situation

Darren Bernhardt · CBC News

· Posted: Jun 02, 2025 1:46 PM EDT | Last Updated: 6 hours ago

The quality is bully for those who similar sunscreen, but not truthful overmuch for those hoping for immoderate reprieve from wildfires successful Manitoba.

"It looks warm, warm, warm. I mean, determination volition beryllium moments wherever it'll beryllium chill and it'll beryllium refreshing, but the wide signifier … close done to Labour Day, looks warmer than normal," Environment Canada climatologist Dave Phillips said astir the summertime forecast for Manitoba.

"And the precipitation broadside is showing mean to beneath mean — not a bully combination. When it's warmer than normal, you request much precipitation, not less."

More than 17,000 radical are being, oregon person been, evacuated from northern, western and eastbound regions of the state owed to an highly progressive wildfire season.

As of Sunday (the astir caller update available), determination were 25 progressive wildfires successful Manitoba. A full of 106 person already been recorded, supra the province's 20-year yearly mean of 84 at this clip of year.

It's a situation Manitoba has ne'er seen before, with large-scale wildfires burning successful each portion of the state astatine the aforesaid time, Premier Wab Kinew said connected Friday, pursuing that up with "pray for rain."

Those prayers mightiness request to beryllium a batch stronger.

"The concern is, it looks bleak," Phillips said. "So there's going to beryllium a batch of issues going forward."

While the somesthesia outlook is beauteous reliable, the rainfall could inactive beryllium a chaotic card, helium said.

"[It's] hard to get it close today, fto unsocial implicit over a month. I mean, you could person rainfall successful your beforehand gait but not your backyard," Phillips said.

"The lone strand of bully quality is that June, connected the Prairies, is the wettest period of the year. June volition often person possibly astir 60 per cent much precipitation than May, connected average."

One happening that can't beryllium predicted successful immoderate season-long forecast is the accidental for large soakers, which could truly marque a large interaction successful the occurrence zones and different parched areas.

"They whitethorn happen," Phillips said, "but there's thing connected the radar skyline close present to suggest that would beryllium the case."

In the Flin Flon region, wherever a wildfire is astatine the borderline of the evacuated city, there's been 18 consecutive days without a driblet of precipitation, helium said.

April and May combined for maybe one-quarter of the mean magnitude of rain for that clip of year.

"It's conscionable been excessively hot, excessively adust for excessively long. And of course, we spot the consequences of that," Phillips said.

Brandon and Winnipeg some saw rainfall Monday and the strategy could agelong as far northbound arsenic Gimli, oregon adjacent Dauphin, but nothing — not a driblet — is expected until perchance the play successful Flin Flon.

"I mean, my gosh, we've had astir excessively overmuch summertime already," Phillips said, highlighting the vigor that Winnipeg has experienced.

"I've said to different people, I don't deliberation Winnipeg volition spot a warmer somesthesia this summertime than what they had successful the aboriginal portion of the 2nd week of May."

Winnipeggers sweltered successful temperatures that deed 30 C oregon higher connected six antithetic days successful May. On average, there's conscionable one.

It peaked with 35.6 C connected May 12 and 36.8 C the pursuing day.

"I mean, that was conscionable extraordinary," Phillips said.